Process of preparing oil for combustion.



No. 791,613. PATENTED JUNE 6, 1905.

f G. W. DRASEL & T. A. TYAS.

PROCESS 0P PREPARING OIL FOR COMBUSTION. APPLIVOATION'FILED APR.30,1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z,

UNITED STATES,

Patented June 6, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV WM. DRASEL AND THEODORE A. TYAS, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF PREPARING OIL FOR COMBUSTION- SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 791,613, dated June 6, 1905. Application filed April 30,1903. Serial No- 154,958.

To all whom it ,may concern:

Be it known that we, GUsTAv WM. Dnlisnn and THEODOREA. TYAS, citizens of the United States, residing in Hoboken, county of son, in the State of New Jersey, have invented? certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Preparing Oil for Combustion, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof. This invention relates to processes forconverting hydrocarbon and other oils from a crude or unrefined state into a combustible vapor or gas. a ne objection heretofore to the use of a crude-oil fuel in stoves, furnaces, andother oil-consuming apparatus has been the difficulty of burning such fuel therein without clogging the feed-pipes and burners and without an imperfect combustion and the conse quent production of smoky flames. The cause for this difficulty is believed to have been due largely to the presence of impurities in the fuel and also to the imperfect and incomplete manner in which the vaporization and carbureting of the fuel has been effected. Accordinglyrefined oil from which theimpurities and substances difficult of vaporization have been removed has been requlred to be supplied to such apparatuses, and even with re ned oil the objectionablefeatures which accompany the use of crude oil are not entirely eliminated. v

The present invention is designed particularly to overcome such difficulties as have been encountered in the attempts to burn,

crude oil in oil-burning stoves and the like; and to this end the invention is chiefly concerned with effecting the complete. and thorough vaporization and carbureting of the crude oil and to the carrying forward into the burner of any and all impurities which may exist in the crude oil and-are incapable of being readily converted into a as. The complete va orization of crude oil besides being rendere diflicult by the presence of impurities is also hindered by the presence of semi solid and other hydrocarbons which remain unconverted at high temperatures and which A further object of the invention isto carry forward to the burners or to a trap near the burners'all substances whatsoever which may remain over after all the convertible portions of the fuel have been vaporized.

The improved process will be more partic: ularly described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, where a furnace is illustrated in the o eration of which the invention may be app ied.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the fire-box of a double boiler, showing an apparatus suitable for the practice of the improved method. Fig. 2 is a general plan of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the fire-box just inside the front wall. Fig. 4 is a detail in section on the plane indicated by the line 4 4 in Fig. 5 and showing the fans in the fuel-conduit. in side elevation and partly broken away, of the parts shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail in transverse section of a burner which may be used in connection with the invention.

In accordance with the invention fuel in the form of crude oil is first delivered from a convenient source of supply into a mixing and va orizing chamber over a continuous blast of air. For this purpose a chamber a, preferably tubular in form, is provided at one side of a fire-box or heater 6, where it is out of the intensest heat of the fire, and into said chamber lead oil and air supply pipes c and (1, respectively. The tubular chamber should have a relatively large diameter-as compared with the fuel and air Fig. 5 is a detail, partly,

the fire by the brick partition, but are heated pipes, so as to permit the oil to vaporize freely and the vapor to expand and commingle with plenty of air. In the present case the invention is illustrated in connection with a furnace for a double boiler, and the sections of chamber a, which lie in each compartment of the fire-box of the furnace, are joined together at the middle of the firebox, and both sections form one continuous tube, which is preferably integral, as shown in the drawings, and which the air and oil supply pipes enter at both ends. The airpipes at are to be connected to a suitable air supply under pressure, and these pipes furnish to chamber a a continuous blast of air over and upon which the oil is discharged from pipes c, the oil being thereby vaporized and mingled with air and the mixture directed into the center of tubular chamber a. This mixture of air and vaporized oil which is effected by the airblast in chamber a is heated therein and on account of the relatively large capacity of said chamber is permitted to expand and to further mingle itself with air, it being in a constant state of agitation owing to the two oppositelydi rected currents of air and oil entering each end of the chamber. The mixture thus formed is delivered downwardly toward the burner; but its progress toward the burner is retarded somewhat to permit the fuel entering chamber a to be retained therein long enough to be properly treated. For this purpose the outlet from the vaporizing-chamber is contracted sufliciently to effect the proper retardation, a small nipple 6 being provided in the bottom of said chamber at the center thereof, from which nipple lead two small pipes and g, both of which have slight downward inclinations and extend across the fire-box within a brick partition it between the two sections thereof. The pipes 7" and q are protected from the direct heat of sufliciently to supply heat continuously to the contained fuel, which at this point exists for the most part in a gaseous state.

In order to further commingle the vapor ized oil and the air which constitute the gaseous portions of the fuel delivered from the chamber a and also to completely vaporize any oil which escapes in an unvaporized condition from said chamber, the fuel after passing through the contracted pipes f and g, where it is compressed and slightly concentrated, is again heated and permitted to expand freely. Preferably, also, the fuel after passing through the pipes and g, is agitated bymechanical means, such as fans or blowers, which greatly facilitates the vaporization and expansion. For permitting expansion a chamber i of considerable capacity is provided in each section of the fire-box, the two chambers being united at the center of the lire-box and the pipes f and 9 opening downwardly into the chambers near the unction thereof. For stirring or agitating the fuel two fans 7c and Z may be provided, having a plurality of radially-disposed blades m, and these fans may be journaled upon atransverse axis n, mounted in the side walls. The fuel is delivered from the pipesf and g upon each of the fans, respectively, the pipefdischarging upon the fan is tangentially in one direction, while the pipe 7 discharges upon fan Z in the same manner but in the opposite direction, thus causing the mixture to be thoroughly stirredv up and commingled and any unconverted oil to be discharged from the fans into the respective chambers and quickly vaporized and prevented from falling upon the bottoms of the chambers. The expansion-chambers are slightly lower, as will be observed in the drawings, than chamber (I, and are secured to the opposite side of the furnace-wall out of the intensest heat of the fire. The fuel in these expansion-chambers is completely vaporized by being pern'litted to expand freely by being reheated to a considerable degree, owing to the large superficial area of the chambers, and when the fans are employed by being thoroughly agitated.

After the mixture passes the fans and while it is being expanded, heated, and agitated in the expansion-chambers it is continually advanced in a downwardly direction in its progress to the burner. At either end of the furnace the mixture passes from the expansion-chamber into a small deliverypipe p, directed downwardly at all points, through which it is conducted to the burner. This pipe is preferably carried outside the furnace and is provided with a safety-valve g, controlling-cock r, and trap s. The trap is provided to collect any solid or semiliquid matter which might for any reason collect or form in the delivery-pipe, and thus it prevents such matter from. clogging said pipe or the burner.

The burner may comprise any suitable apparatus adapted to receive and consume gaseous fuel. As shown in Fig. 6, such a burner may be constructed from solid castings 1, provided with grooves in their surfaces, which when the castings are assembled form llat channels a and burner-slits r. The deliverypipe p may be led down through the burner and may communicate with the channels (1 through small openings w. A supply of air under pressure may also be furnish ed through a pipe as, which leads into a narrow chamber 3 in the rear or the burner and communicates with each channel a, whereby additional air, if necessary, is furnished to the gaseous fuel and the fuel is directed into the burner-slits.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular form of apparatus in which the improved process is practiced, the apparatus hereinbefore described having been so described merely that the nature of the invention might be clearly understood.

We claim as our invention,

1. The process of preparing oil for combustion, which consists in mixing the oil with air, heating the mixture within a chamber, forcing the vapor thus formedtogether witn the unvaporized oil downward through arestricted passage into a second chamber, heating the mixture in the second chamber and delivering the final mixture downward to the burner.

2. The process of preparing oil for combus tion,which consists 1n mixing the oil with air, heating the mixture within a chamber, forcing the vapor thus formed together with the unvaporized oil downward through a restricted passage, into a second chamber, agitating the unva orized oil and vapor as it passes through t e restricted passage,heatin the mixture in the second chamber and de ivering the final mixture downward to the burner.

3. The process of preparing oil for combustion, which consists in discharging the oil vupon a continuous blast of air, heating the 1 mixture within a chamber, forcing the vapor thus formed together with the unvaporized oil downward through a restricted passage into a second chamber, heating the mixture in the second chamber and delivering the final mixture downward to the burner.

4. The process of preparing oil for combustion, which consists in discharging the oil upon a continuous blast of air, heating the mixture within a chamber, forcing the vapor thus formed together with the unvaporized oil downward'through a restricted passage into a second chamber, agitating the unvaporized oil and vapor as it passes through the restricted passage, heating the mixture in the second chamber and delivering the final mixture downward to the burner.

This specification signed and witnessed this 27th day of April, 'A. D. 1903.

' GUSTAV WM. DRASEL; THEODORE A. TYAS.

In presence of- ANTHONY N. JEsBERA, LUoIUs VARNEY. 

